Child of the Moon
by LadyVibeke87
Summary: Ruby goes to Gold seeking for help about something she wants to fix before it's too late. Something concerning her werewolf nature and everything it implies. But with Gold everything comes with a price, and maybe this time she can gain more than she's paying for. Because not all monsters deserve to die. Some monsters are monsters only to real monsters' eyes. [implied Frankenwolf]
1. Rejection

The ring of the little bell on the door was an unusual event, at that time, in Mr. Gold's shop.

The sky outside was overcast and livid, and a heavy wind swept the empty streets. Nobody had come in during the whole day. How odd for someone to pick up such a late hour to show up.

Almost all lights were already off. Gold had already started gathering his stuff before closing, but as he rose his eyes from the counter, his surprise was so great he decided not to point out that it was closing time.

His thin lips curved pleasingly at the sight of the young woman approaching him at a steady yet slow pace.

"Ah, Miss Lucas," He considered her head to toe, untouched by her hostile look. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She was a beautiful girl, there was no denying it. Of all the people in Storybrooke, she was probably the one he didn't actually despise. Because of her double nature. Even though he knew his heart would never be as pure as hers.

Ruby stared at him with a colourless face, wrapped up in a grey woolen sweater that didn't look right on her.

"Save the platitudes. Everyone comes to you for the same reasons," she said in a low voice.

He detected something in her tone, but couldn't tell what it was.

Not yet.

He smirked mischievously, though. He loved that people came seeking for favours from him.

"And what is it that you want?"

She was pale. Her eyes look tired but there was an unusual sparkle of light in them. Maybe it was the grey she was wearing making her look so _off_. Maybe not.

He saw her swallow slowly. Her body was tense. She didn't like to be there, and he couldn't blame her. Nobody like to be there.

"You're the Dark One. You can do nearly everything, can't you?" she asked, and in those few words Gold recognized the something he had detected: _desperation_.

But she was good at keeping it at bay. Almost a master.

"Indeed I can," he stated, not caring to conceal his smugness. "The question is: can you afford what you've come asking for?"

Ruby's tension grew sensibly. They were getting closer to the sore spot she clearly wasn't so eager to touch.

She uncomfortably ran a hand though her hair, falling lank over her shoulders.

"You gave Granny my red cloak to keep me from turning during Wolf Time," she said tentatively, but looking him straight in the eye. "Because Granny knew I would be a werewolf, being a werewolf's child."

He simply nodded.

"Is there anything that could cure a werewolf from its… its _curse_?"

"You think being a werewolf requires a cure?" he asked disapprovingly, in a way that sounded much like an accusation.

Ruby cringed guiltily at this insinuation, but didn't break the eye contact.

_This girl is tough_, Gold thought, this time approvingly.

"Just answer my question."

Gold leant onto the counter and crossed his arms over it, eyeing her inquiringly.

"There are ways, of course. Some more effective – and expensive – than others. But I'm afraid, Miss Lucas, that all permanent remedies are to be performed _before_ the first shifting," He gave her a mock apologetic smile. "So that would make it a little late for you."

He made to turn his back to her and leave, but what she said paralyzed him like a spell:

"I wasn't talking about me."

Gold froze for a moment, then turned very slowly, an intrigued sneer spreading on his lips.

As he faced her again, Ruby swallowed again, and he perceived her nervousness increase.

Gold studied her more carefully and noticed details he'd missed before: the sweater hanging too loosely all over her slender figure, her arms folded protectively around her waist, the way her eyes seemed to struggle to hold back a secret.

"Oh, I see," A wave of sudden, feverish interest took over Gold. He glanced at the spot her arms were covering and grinned knowingly in her direction. "Now, that makes everything much more interesting."

Ruby instinctively moved one step backwards, which only made Gold more captivated.

He thought he knew everything about everyone in town, but this just proved him wrong. There were several men buzzing around this girl, and Gold had a number of hypothesis, but couldn't be sure.

"I guess congratulations are in order," he said slyly, enjoying the change of her expression from diffident to worried. "Who's the lucky man?"

"This is none of your concern," she replied quickly.

"Oh, I beg to differ. But that is entirely your choice whether to tell me or not. I won't hold any grudge."

Ruby eyed him suspiciously.

"That, of course, would discourage me from giving you what you came looking for," he added wickedly. "But you'll certainly find someone else. You could ask Regina, perhaps. Or go to the hospital. I'm sure Dr. Whale will be able to help you out with this – ah – furry little problem."

Ruby winced and suddenly looked so fragile and lost that for a moment, ever so brief and ephemeral, Gold actually felt for her. But he wasn't a Fairy Godmother and his help always had a price.

"Good evening, Miss Lucas," he greeted, retrieving his stick from a corner. "And good luck."

He picked up the shop keys and loved towards the entrance door, silently counting the seconds passing by. And finally Ruby spoke:

"I'll tell you."

He had to fight against himself to stifle a smug, triumphant snigger. When he turned around, his face bore a perfectly oblivious expression:

"Excuse me?"

Ruby's cheeks had gained some colour and by the way she was staring at him Gold could tell she would have preferred tearing him apart with her own teeth rather than give in to his blackmail, but she had no other choice.

"I'll tell you," she repeated weakly in her young, delicate voice. "But, please, give me what I need."

She truly was desperate.

Gold barely had an idea of what it felt like to be a monster and hate it. He'd only felt like that once, because of Belle, because of her love for him, but he had chosen to be a monster. Ruby hadn't. Hers was real curse, something she hadn't asked and probably didn't deserve. But it was still something she could control.

Unlike him.

"Here," With a fluid movement of his right hand, Gold drew a flourish in the air and when he showed his palm to her, there was a tiny bottle on it, full of a shiny silvery liquid. "Drink this during next full moon and your child will be spared the curse of being a werewolf."

Ruby took a moment to raise her own hand. She picked the little bottle carefully and observed it as if it were some kind of wonder. And it was, to her. A wonder, a blessing. A blessing she hadn't had the luck to get herself.

"Thank you," she whispered, so genuinely grateful that Gold was stuck for a moment. "Thank you so much."

He bent his head lightly.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Miss Lucas. Now, if you would excuse me, I would like to go home. It's late, Belle is going to be worried."

He gestured towards the door, inviting her to leave.

Ruby clung the bottle to her chest and blinked confusedly.

"But I haven't told you…"

Gold gently pushed her through the door.

"Oh, yes, you have. Sometimes words are not necessary to answer a question." His smiled, this time for real. "Good evening again, Miss Lucas."

Ruby's heart was racing. She had traded a long-kept secret for a glimpse of hope. A secret that didn't belong to her alone. But she would think of the consequences later. Now she only cared about the treasure in her hands.

She was already crossing the empty street when Gold's voice called her back:

"Miss Lucas?"

Ruby turned around and saw him lingering on the doorway.

"I used to be a real monster. I chose to become a monster. I was evil and heartless, and it was my choice to be like that. _I_ needed a cure, and I was lucky enough to have Belle's love to provide it. You are a werewolf. You didn't _become_ one, that is what you are. That's a part of you. A part that you can control and live with without causing any harm to anyone. It's what you're made of, and it doesn't make you a monster. It only makes you different. Think about it before you drink that."

Ruby stood speechlessly in the middle of the street, the wind blowing though her hair, her heart now heavy in guilt and dismay.

Gold's words burned down her soul like cold flames.

She didn't say anything. She just nodded, feeling small and fatigued, and walked away.

"One last thing," said Gold's voice.

Ruby stopped but didn't turn back, this time.

"If I were you, I wouldn't make this decision alone."

His words echoed in her mind and in the silence surrounding them.

"I guess there is someone, out there, who loves you just the way you are. Probably _because_ of the way you are. Both girl and werewolf. Maybe for that someone it would be a loss to deprive this child of a part of its nature."

Ruby's head snapped back, but all she found was the locked door of the pawn shop and the flickering light of the streetlight beside it.

She glanced down at the tiny bottle, scared and anxious and confused, and knew Gold was right.

About everything.

Was it right of her to erase a legitimate part of her child's identity? It would have been like something was wrong with him or her and therefore needed to be fixed.

This wasn't what she wanted for her baby.

It wasn't what she wanted for anyone.

_Monster to monster_.

Not all monsters deserved to die.

Some monsters deserved a chance.

Some monsters were monsters only to real monsters' eyes.

* * *

**A/N**: alright, first off I need to confess I got the inspiration to write this piece after reading "Gratest Creation" on AO3.

It's a oneshot and it's totally unrelated to my other fics, but there's probably going to be a second part in which Ruby discusses the matter with her mate.

As of now, this is all. Hope you enjoyed the reading and, of course, reviews are love!

P.S. as usual, sorry for the typos, if there's any left! Point them out, if you find some!

P.P.S. to those who didn't recognize it, the "furry little problem" is a direct quote from Harry Potter, concerning my One True (Werewolf) Love, Remus Lupin.


	2. Acceptance

Her hands were frozen.

Her restless thoughts kept wandering in infinite directions and none of them seemed to reach a point.

She felt like throwing up, but she already knew that running to the toilet would have been useless, as the first two times had already proven.

This wasn't something that was supposed to happen.

She was too young.

Too messed up.

The burden she carried on her shoulders was already heavy enough. She didn't need the guilt of passing it on to someone else. Someone she was supposed to _love_ and _protect_.

Had it been up to her, werewolves should die without having children, so that their curse would die off with them. But it wasn't her choice.

She could still choose for herself, though.

Mr. Gold's tiny bottle lay on the floor in front of her, untouched. She had been staring at it blankly for hours and still didn't know what to do.

It wasn't just a werewolf matter.

It was an _absolute_ matter.

She rest her chin on top of her knees, arms enveloped around her legs, and stifled the need to cry.

She didn't even know why she needed to cry so baldy. It wasn't like she didn't know what was going on. It was no big surprise. She had known for two weeks, now. She had had all the time to deal with it and come to her own conclusions. That was why she had gone to Gold.

But now she wasn't so sure any longer. About anything.

The _little thing_ was there and, whether she liked it or not, it wouldn't leave unless she decided it would. And as of now, the thought of sweeping it away like a virus or a cold only made her feel sicker.

But there were other options. She could find someone who would take care of the kid and love him or her as their own. But in order to do that, the kid needed to be healthy. _Normal_.

Nobody would ever want to adopt a werewolf child.

_I would_, she told herself, but that didn't count. Because _she_ was a werewolf and she knew what it was like to be different and unaccepted. To be considered a monster.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, whispering to no one.

She was a grown woman. She was expected to be able to handle her sexual life without getting knocked up like a stupid teen, and yet here she was. And she had a doctor as a boyfriend.

_Victor._

She would have to tell him, sooner or later. She just didn't know how to do it. Their relationship was so young and fragile she was afraid such a big shock would shatter it. And without each other, they both would be lost again.

He wouldn't leave her, of that she was sure. But things were going to be hard and he certainly hadn't asked for a kid to pop out of thin air to complicate his life even further.

Maybe he would agree with her. Maybe he would find it reasonable to give up the baby for adoption.

Maybe he would just be mad.

Ruby's wolfish hearing caught the distant sound a key unlocking the main door downstairs. Victor was back.

"I'm home!" he announced in a cheerful tone. "Ruby?" he called, when no response came to welcome him back.

Ruby swallowed and bit her trembling lip.

"Upstairs," she cried, hoping her voice wasn't horribly shaky as it sounded to her ears.

Apparently it wasn't, because Victor's steps up the stairs were calm as always.

By the time he walked into the room, he'd already got rid of his shoes, jacket and tie, which were probably scattered along the steps. As always, he would collect them later. He stood there, barefoot and with the dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and looked around for her.

"Hey there," he said warmly as he acknowledged her unusual position with a bemused frown. "Is the floor comfortable?"

"Nope," she said weakly. The very moment she rose her eyes into his, Victor's expression darkened.

"What's wrong?"

He squatted down on his heels in front of her and scrutinized her worriedly. His face looked so tired that the mere thought of breaking the news to him pained Ruby so much she could barely hold his look.

"Rubes," he whispered in his caring, gentle voice. "Don't scare the hell out of me, please. What happened? Did you burn the dinner again?"

A nervous laugh escaped from Ruby's lips, but she still wouldn't open her mouth. Victor was about to insist, but his attention was caught by the little bottle lying between himself and Ruby.

"What's this?" he inquired, taking the small object into his hand.

"Be careful," Ruby warned quietly. "I need that."

Victor observed the silvery liquid behind the thin glass surface and a thin line formed across his forehead.

"It looks… _magical_." The disapproval in his voice didn't make Ruby feel any better about what was about to follow. "Where did you get it?" he asked harshly.

Ruby held her knees tighter to her chest.

"Gold gave it to me."

Shock and disbelief spread over his face.

"You got something from _Rumplestitlskin_? Are you insane?" he cried onto her face, pale as a ghost. "And what on earth did you trade for this… _whatever it is_? Your firstborn?"

Oh, _the irony_.

Ruby wasn't sure whether she should laugh or cry.

The latter, perhaps.

"A secret," she mumbled, barely audibly. Such was the silence in the room that he still heard her perfectly. "Well, two secrets, actually."

"_Secrets_," Victor scoffed, his face darker than ever. "Really? And what sort of secret could have been worthy of a gift from that demon?"

This time Ruby forced herself to look him straight in the eye. She need to muster up all the courage within herself to tell him everything. She looked for rage, but Victor's eyes only bore concern.

"I told him about us."

He scoffed again.

It was an unexpected reaction. She had expected he would be mad, or at least annoyed, but he wasn't. It wasn't like they had _decided_ not to tell anyone about them – simply, there hadn't been a chance, yet – but he was surprisingly calm. After all, she knew he was ready to shout out to the whole world that he loved her. What she didn't know was if he still would want to do that after this conversation.

"And what does he care about us?"

Ruby felt the lump that had been lingering in her throat all day grow heavier.

"This is about the other secret, and the reason why I need the bottle."

An anticipating, skeptical stare came as a response from Victor, who shifted his position to settle himself next to her, back resting against the bed.

"I'm all ears."

He waited patiently for her to speak, but after a couple of minutes, when it was obvious she wouldn't speak at all, he nudged her side with his elbow.

"Well?"

Silence.

"Come on, say something. I'm getting really worried, here."

Silence.

He sighed and made to stand up.

"Okay, if we're going to spend the night here, at least let me fetch some –"

"I'm pregnant, Victor."

He fell back.

Ruby felt time stop all around her and Victor's look weigh upon her, making it hard for her to breathe. But there was no coming back, now.

They'd never spoken of children. Of course they hadn't: they'd been together for a few months, and still nobody knew. There was too much people wouldn't understand. But they had found everything in each other and Ruby knew that nothing in the world could ever make her stop loving him. But as to Victor… could he be able to handle a big twist like that? Could _they_ survive it?

She waited, eyes shut, almost sensing all the questions rising in Victor's mind.

_How?_

_When?_

_Why?_

_Now what?_

But he didn't utter a single sound.

"The liquid inside the bottle," she continued, as along as she still could. "It _is_ magical. It can save the baby from being a werewolf."

As soon as the word touched her lips, she regretted it.

_Baby_.

She saw the goose bumps crawl all over Victor's forearms. She felt a frozen shiver run down her own spine.

She didn't know what to read between the lines of the long, deep silence that ensued.

"Please, say something," she begged, scared of this lack of reactions of any sort.

He stayed silent for another while, then inhaled slowly and just as slowly turned to her. His blue eyes pierced through her with the emotion they bore.

"So abortion was never an option?"

Ruby's stomach cramped with guilt.

"It was," she confessed. Her voice was a trembling whisper. She did her best to control it, but it didn't work. All she wanted was to collapse into his arms and give in to the tears, but the tension between them was too heavy. She didn't feel comfortable with doing that, as of now. "But it doesn't matter. I could never do it."

"How long have you known?"

"Couple of weeks."

She expected him to lose his temper because she hadn't told him sooner, but it didn't happen. He was still dreadfully calm.

"So you've had some time to think about what you want to do about this?"

It didn't sound like an accusation. Nevertheless, Ruby knew that what he really meant was _'So what have you decided without me?'_

But truth was she was more confused than ever, now.

"I was considering adoption," she muttered croakily. "But who would ever want a werewolf as a son or a daughter?"

She felt Victor's muscles tense, his jaw clench.

"So you were just… going to _fix_ the baby by drinking an anti-werewolf potion." He sounded like he could barely get himself to speak.

Ruby felt offended by the judgemental vibe she caught in the word _fix_.

"I was desperate, okay? You have no idea, you don't know what it's like –"

"To be regarded as a monster?" he flatly completed for her. "I thought we'd already been there."

"What's so wrong with wanting to spare this baby from the burden of this curse? It wouldn't be harmful for him or her. It would just… make it less dangerous."

"How would you feel," he cut in brusquely. "If your mother had cut off your hands because she was afraid you could use them to hurt someone?"

"That's not the same."

"How isn't it just the same?"

Ruby couldn't find an answer.

Probably because she knew he was right.

"Your mother taught you how to control the wolf in you," he said after a while, so softly that Ruby's eyes darted up to him, wide and watery. "Just like any other mother would teach their child how to control their hands, of feet, or teeth, or anything that could be potentially harmful to other people, if used improperly." Victor glanced at her lopsidedly and gave her a small, sympathetic smile. "The danger doesn't lie in the means, but in the intentions. It's up to you – to_ us_ – to teach our children what is right and what is wrong, and, honestly, I don't think manipulating their nature would be a nice message to start with."

The ice around Ruby thawed at once and her heart swelled with hope. She felt stupid and horrible, because she could see his point, now. He was remarkably good with words, to be a scientist.

"Have you been thinking about this?" she asked, just as softly, amazed to see that he clearly had.

A corner of Victor's lips curled wistfully.

"I knew we were going to be parents, some day," he confessed in a fond tone. "I _hoped_ so, at least. To be the father of your children, I mean. Because you were definitely born to be a mother, and I always wished to give my kids all the love and acceptance I never had." He made a short pause to reach for her hand a take onto his own, lovingly stroking the back of it with his thumb. "This is why I find it so hard to accept that you're even considering using that," and he nodded at the tiny bottle. His eyes found hers and the concern in them was so deep it made her heart quiver.

Victor rose his free hand to cup her face and smiled tentatively.

"We grew up with people constantly trying to deny or change who we really were, and it made our lives miserable and lonely…" He stopped one moment before his voice cracked, but Ruby sensed it anyway. All she felt was overwhelming love for this extraordinary man who had made her happier than she had ever dreamed she could be.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful," Victor went on. "If we could raise a werewolf child and every day tell him or her _'It's alright. You're perfect. We love everything you are, just the way you are.'_?"

Something powerful took over Ruby. Something so absolute and immense that for a moment she mistook it for numbness. But then she realized: it was happiness.

Happiness in its purest form, so great and bewildering she could barely contain it. It broke through her lips into a broad smile as tears of relief rolled down her cheeks. Victor wiped each of them with delicate strokes.

"You want to be a father?" she sniffled, squeezing his hand.

He squeezed back.

"We surely weren't looking for this," he said, placing his free hand over her abdomen. "But it's here, and it's not its fault if its parents are shameless sex fiends."

Ruby let out a small, nervous laugh.

"We can do this, Rubes," he said, more firmly than she'd ever heard from him. "I _want_ to do this. I'm so happy about this," he added, almost laughing for how genuinely overjoyed he was. "That if you don't feel ready for a baby, I'm willing to take it all on me. I'll change every diaper, wake every night, lull every cry… all you have to do is be there and enjoy our own little miracle. And take care of the wolf side of werewolf parenting, of course."

Ruby shook her head in amused disbelief. She pictured him in his mind, walking up and down the room humming lullabies with a tiny baby Victor in his arms.

"I know you would," she replied. "But you won't. We'll do this just how we started it," she leant forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Together."

Victor turned his head to claim a proper kiss. Ruby was more than happy to oblige.

He embraced her, held her tight to himself, and whispered in her ear:

"Granny's going to kill me."

"Don't worry about that," Ruby giggled against his chest. "As soon as she realizes you're going to give her a grand-grandchild, she'll instantly forget about anything else."

Victor kissed her temple, then gently pulled away.

"Are you sure you're ready for this? I don't want you to feel pressured just because I –"

"I never said I am ready," she remarked. "But I wasn't ready to fall in love with you either, and yet here we are."

"Nothing charms a wolf in shining fur like a doctor in distress," he quipped, earning a playful swat.

"Distress? You were going to kill yourself!"

"I had nothing to live for," he admitted quietly. "But a lot has changed since then."

He ran his fingers through her hair with that adoring expression he had only for her and Ruby abandoned herself to his cuddles. No matter how hard things would get, she knew that as long as she had him, she would always be strong enough to face every obstacle.

"Yes," she mused, basking in his embrace, his hand resting protectively over her belly. And there was nothing monstrous in that. "A lot has changed."

* * *

**A/N:** as usual, Ruby and Victor do not belong to me (OMG, Rumple, take my soul, my firstborn, all you want, and change this, pls!). I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry for any mistake, the sory is being proof-read, everything will be fixed ASAP. Meanwhile, if you want to leave a review, you know it's more than welcome! :)


End file.
